Buy additional app features with in-app purchases and subscriptions

Many iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac apps allow you to make in-app purchases, such as recurring subscriptions, in-game currency, or full game or app unlocks.

Find out what in-app purchases are available

In-app purchases are extra content or subscriptions that you can buy in apps on your iOS device or computer.

Not all apps offer in-app purchases. If an app offers in-app purchases, you'll see "Offers In-App Purchases" or "In-App Purchases" near the app's Price, Buy, or Get button in the App Store.

If an app is free to download, it has a Get button. You won't be charged for downloading this app. However, some or all of the features of the app might require you to make a one time or recurring (subscription) in-app purchase.

Types of in-app purchases

When you buy extra content or subscriptions, you make one of these in-app purchases:

Type of in-app purchase

Example content

Description

Subscriptions

Newspaper subscriptions

Ongoing services (Hulu Plus, etc.)

Games

A sports season pass

Subscriptions for a set period of time

You can buy these services or this content for a specific subscription period. Apps might offer renewing subscription periods of different lengths, such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, or apps might offer subscriptions for a set period of time. Some apps might also offer a discounted or free trial, or a subscription for multiple apps.

Auto-renewing subscriptions will continue until you cancel it. If the subscription was for a set period of time, you might be able to buy it again for another set period of time.

You'll need to buy these items every time you want them, and you can't download them again for free. If you remove and reinstall an app, or install an app on a new device, you might lose your consumable purchases. For example, if you install a game on your iPod touch that you started playing on your iPhone, the game levels sync, but extra health or experience points you bought on your iPhone don't sync.

Non-consumable

Upgrade to pro edition

Remove ads

Full game unlock

Unlimited hints

Extra characters

Extra accessories

Bonus game levels

City guide maps

You buy these items one time, and you can transfer them to other devices that are associated with your Apple ID. If you lose a non-consumable purchase, you might be able to download it again for free. Learn how to restore in-app purchases.